Thursday
by TheyCallMeLoony
Summary: Despite my not-so sober state on Thursday nights I can't help but notice just how alive Remus' eyes are, and how lovely. But then again Remus in his entirety, not just his eyes, has always been lovely. / A series of Thursdays in the life of Nymphodra Tonks.
1. Date With a Night Week 1

Thursdays were the best. In the mornings, I'd wake up in the dreary room I use as quarters in Number 12 and go down to the kitchen for tea and Remus. I never had a special affinity for the drink but a nice chat with the man, whatever the time, was always lovely. I've taken to staying over on Wednesdays because I work a double shift at the Auror office, then one in guard duty for the order right after, and always, after the extended stay at the ministry I feet so tired I doubt I could apparate as far as my flat. So I stay in Grimmauld. The mornings have become something of a reward.

After work, I return to Number 12 and find my dear cousin as soon as I am past that blasted troll leg and the curtains I always pray we'd find a way to banish one of these days. He keeps telling me I swore to a weekly tradition with him. I don't remember doing so, but he says I was pissed drunk at the time and I suppose that's why. It wasn't that grand a tradition: just one filled with firewhiskey and exploding snap, exactly like the Thursday night he informs me had happened, some few weeks ago. Sometimes we play chess, but Sirius always ends up winning and I keep telling him it's because I let him win. That's a lie, of course; he knows I hate losing so he reluctantly agrees.

On some nights, when Remus isn't skulking over a book, he'd find his way to the drawing room in front of the roaring fire with us and have a drink or two. Or three. Three is the nicest number for these things. Three of us, I mean. The two of them are never better than when they are laughing together, and I just sit there all red from my drink and my laughter over the both of them. Despite my not-so sober state on Thursday nights I can't help but notice just how alive Remus' eyes are, and how lovely. Somewhere in between their crazy stories and our dares, he has caught me staring once or twice and I laugh some more because Remus is my friend. But later on, when our little party of three somehow melts from vertical to horizontal, with all three of us somehow ending up on the floor or with our heads on someone else's stomach or leg or back, cards and chess boards strewn forgotten in various locations across the room, I can't help but realize that Remus in his entirety, not just his eyes, is undeniably lovely.

My shift at work starts late on Fridays and the moment I wake up I thank Merlin for that fact. Remus almost always wakes up first, and today is no exception. Sirius' head is somewhere to the right of my leg, judging by the light snores that emanated from that particular area, and I curse silently when I try to sit up because hangovers are shit. I tiptoe my way past Sirius, who somehow managed to lie spread-eagled on his stomach on the floor but with one of his feet propped up on the couch. I can't imagine how that's comfortable, but with Sirius I suppose anything goes. I make it to the kitchen without any major accidents and find Remus making tea like the thundering earthquake in my head isn't happening in his. Which of course it isn't. It's Remus and he never gets hung over. I open the pantry door and look for some of the hangover potion I stashed in there last week, and once my fingers close on the familiar bottle, I pull it out and immediately take a sip. The effect is instantaneous and my head clears. Remus chuckles at my expression as he hands me a cup of tea. I shoot him a glare I don't really mean and sit down while he fries some eggs and sausages.

It only takes a few minutes of comfortable silence with him cooking and me watching him, half-asleep and sipping my tea, before he sets the plate of hot breakfast in front of me and we dig in. Sirius wouldn't be up until later so we don't save him any of the food. Too soon, it's time for me to leave again.

"I'm off to work now, thanks for breakfast," I say, my mouth still full. Mother would've had a fit. I walk towards the doorway and stop to look at him before leaving. I try to smile, and I assume it must've looked hilarious because he laughs. "I'll be back for dinner. Don't pine for me too much," I joke. His smile disappears just as I round the corner, and a few months later he tells me it's because it was already too late for that.

Hi everybody! I'm planning for this story to span three to four chapters, and it'd be great if you can tell me what you guys think so far! More of Sirius, Remus, and Tonks coming up soon. :)


	2. In Dreams I Dance with You Week 2

It's Friday morning again, and I wake up but keep my eyes closed. I want to savour last night because last night was probably one of the best Thursday nights that comprise this little tradition of ours. I don't want to forget it the way I did the first night Sirius decided we should start this whole thing, so I concentrate on keeping all the little details tucked neatly in the synapses of my brain.

Remus, in a stroke of un-Remus-ness had brought a bottle of vodka last night, a shining contrast to our usual firewhiskey. When Sirius remarked that he hasn't had vodka in a long, long time, Remus grinned and declared that that sad fact is something we all simply must have to work on immediately. We toasted to perhaps a hundred different things – from Buckbeak's dung to the goblin history section in the library we had all used for decidedly different things (Sirius the most, apparently; the man is impossible). I laughed more than I've ever laughed in years, and I think my cheeks are still slightly sore from alternating between laughing and smiling for a whole night. I try to keep a tight grasp on all the little vestigial details that were quickly and unceremoniously slipping from my mind – the dozens of stories Sirius and Remus had shared, the way they completed each other's sentences, and how punch lines were suddenly being delivered by all three of us without missing a beat, like a trio of seasoned stand-up comedians whose only audience were ourselves and rapidly emptying bottles of alcohol.

Satisfied, I open my eyes and find the most interesting streaks of grey staring right back at me. I don't make a sound, and I realize Remus' head had ended up right next to mine with our feet sticking out in opposite directions throughout the course of the night. For the longest time, neither of us speaks. We just stare at each other, and it shocks me just how much emotion I find in his eyes, how there's isn't a single trace of his usual wariness in there this morning. He looks so unguarded and just… focused completely on me. I feel like nothing else exists.

I manage a small smile and mouth the words "Good morning." He doesn't reply, just lifts his hand from underneath his neck and reaches out to touch my face. I hold my breath just as the very tips of his fingers ghost over my cheek and I close my eyes. His fingers travel ever so slowly up and over my eyelids, down the bridge of my nose. I can't believe this is happening and yet I'm pretty damn sure the alcohol has worn off by now – I can already feel the beginnings of a terrible hangover building up. I can also feel his fingers tracing the tops of my lips and I feel terribly and wonderfully vulnerable. I'm awake and this isn't a dream, but I can't believe it. The nerves underneath my skin are dancing everywhere he touches, and I can't help but open my eyes again just to check that this is real, that this is really happening.

Remus' mouth is formed in that little half-smirk of his that I've grown to really enjoying drawing out of him, and I feel his thumb and forefinger tilt my chin upwards. He's moving closer now, and I can't quite grasp my head around the fact that none of us have spoken throughout all this and how can I be so sure this is real?

But just then reality intervenes in the form of Sirius murmuring in his sleep and we both jump as I realize we had been trying so hard to not wake him up while… well, doing whatever we were about to do. The moment is gone though, and the wall goes right back up Remus' eyes. He stands up before I can say anything, uses those goddamn long legs of his to walk quickly towards the door and leave. When I go downstairs a few minutes later for breakfast, he's sipping his tea quietly and I can't help but wonder if I had imagined it all.

That's it for today! I hope you guys liked it, and there's more coming up soon. :) Reviews are greatly appreciated.


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